Have you heard? Saying sayonara to the PewDiePie vlog and taking “go back to Africa” literally.

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

This week, a YouTube legend is ending a chapter of his career, two others are thinking about a comeback, and a Finnish creator found a clever response to a racist remark.

Creator commotion

PewDiePie has decided to call it quits on his vlogs. After stepping away from gaming content, moving to Japan, and having a kid with his wife Marzia, Felix Kjellberg documented his son’s early years with vlogs that offered candid snapshots of his life abroad. But as he reckons with his fame and watches his son grow, the man known as PewDiePie is moving on. “It’s a good time to stop,” he said.

More creators are coming to the streets of the Big Apple via LinkNYC screens. Intersection, the company that installed video boards throughout the five boroughs, has occasionally used those screens as vessels for creator campaigns. By bring “six new voices” to its LinkNYC locations, Intersection is hoping to “capture the spirit of New York City.”

Are Zoella and Alfie planning a comeback? Once upon a time, Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes were the “it couple” in the creator community. That day has passed, but the British lovebirds haven’t given up the idea of a grand return. A woman thought she was ending Deyes’ career when she bought some of his old cameras on Vinted, but he explained that he is hanging onto the equipment he uses in his vlogs. “We don’t film on Sony don’t worry,” Deyes said. “We shoot Canon.”

Sports and games

Dan Gheesling’s U.S. Army sponsorship has caused quite the stir. The Big Brother winner is one of the creators who supported a U.S. Army reality show called Field Tested. He didn’t expect to receive so much blowback from that decision, but some of his fellow streamers are objecting so vociferously that they’re putting their own careers at risk. How much is a callout worth to you?

Jynxzi’s latest Fortnite tournament reached more than 150,000 concurrent viewers at its peak. The creator who got his start streaming Rainbow Six: Siege often hosts high-stakes gaming tournament, and his 100-person Fortnite duo showdown certainly fits that bill. At this point, Jynxzi has large-scale competitions down to a science; can he make a run at any more Twitch records?

The WWE is taking its “main event” to Rumble. The wrestling organization is one of YouTube’s most reliable partners, but that’s not stopping it from hosting broadcasts on other social video platforms. Let’s face it: No matter what you think about the streaming world’s right-leaning hub, a wrestling event on a platform called Rumble just makes sense.

Pop culture minute

Alex Cooper’s Unwell has a four-show slate for the fall season. As the Unwell Summer Games heat up, Cooper’s media company is looking ahead to its next batch of originals. The upcoming shows will be typical Unwell: Cooper and co. are pairing chatty content formats with in-demand creator hosts, including Elsy Guevara, Molly Schaeder

If you can’t Beat the Star, then be the star. This much is clear: Banijay Entertainment loves giving creators the keys to its game show formats. The latest example of that trend comes from Germany, where two YouTubers (Aaron Troschke and Marvin Wildhage) will face off against two Twitch streamers (Zarbex and Max Schradin) across a variety of challenge formats.

Coachella is going to be on YouTube, like, forever. Here’s one more note from the Made On YouTube event that took place earlier this week: Coachella is staying put on YouTube. Google’s video platform has streamed the California festival for more than a decade, and that streak will continue through 2030 thanks to a renewed deal.

Platform headlines

Apple Podcasts is putting up paywalls. To keep up with competitors like Spotify and YouTube, Apple needs to match the monetization features podcasters utilize on those platforms. Subscriber-exclusive episodes are one way to do that, but that’s not the only change coming to Apple Podcasts. Early access and bonus content for subscribers are also on the way.

“Creator Voices” will advocate for YouTube professionals in the U.K. In the British Isles, traditional broadcasters are strongarming independent creators as they seek priority treatment. One of YouTube’s responses to that dilemma is Creator Voices, a group of industry experts who will lobby for their colleagues in the U.K. The lineup was revealed at the annual YouTube Festival in London.

TikTok USDS Joint Venture is lighting its Lantern to keep kids safe. The U.S. version of TikTok doesn’t seem too interested in adopting Meta’s “industry standard” teen safety features, but it is joining the coalition known as Lantern. Through its proprietary tech, Lantern tracks bad actors as they move from platform to platform, enabling faster and more effective responses.

The internet is a strange place

Abdirahman Keinaan turned a racist remark into a travel series. Though he was born in Finland, Keinaan is often told to “go back to Somalia.” Now, the YouTuber is taking that taunt literally by launching a series called (you guessed it) Keinaan, Go Back To Somalia. What began as a hateful piece of trolling has become an opportunity for Keinaan to rediscover his roots.

OnlyGays is a search directory for LGBTQ+ creators. The new tool, developed by Mango Digital, will increase visibility for queer creators across the social web. The index crosses platforms and communities — just don’t Google “OnlyGays” unless you’re looking for a…specific type of LGBTQ+ content.

WinRAR wants to know if you would rather buy five licenses or one handbag. If you’ve ever used the third-party unzipping, then you’ve likely encountered a message urging you to buy a license for the service. Many users ignore that message indefinitely, and WinRAR wants to remind them that a license isn’t really such a big expense. To make its point, it is restocking a handbag that costs five times as much as a license.